Latching hinge



March 18, 1969 H. B. GORTON ET AL 3,432,879

LATCHING HINGE Filed Aug 26, 1965 FIG. 1

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LATCHING HINGE Filed Aug. 26. 1965 Sheet 3 of 2 /02 84 7 F276. 6. 5Z\) I 96 i rq-"n' N5 INVENTORS HOWARD 5. GORTOM HENRY AIR/As, JQ. ay

7710/14/45 P MAHOA/EV A Woe/v5) United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A latching hinge in which the hinge pin connects two leaves for hinged movement between open and closed position; one of said leaves having a strike element and the second leaf having a latching element including a leaf-type spring means.

This invention relates to a hinge latch and, more particularly, to a hinge latch adapted to perform the dual functions of hingedly supporting a closure and latching the same in closed position.

It is a common practice to mount cabinet and other doors on two or more hinges and to provide latch components on the door jamb and door edge to maintain the door in closed position. Therefore, it is necessary to purchase the latch components and hinges and to install the same.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a hinge latch which, when installed in the manner of conventional hinges, will function both as a hinge to support the associated door and as a latch to maintain the door in latched and closed position on the associated cabinet.

Therefore, the expenditures entailed in the purchase and the installation of conventional latches are eliminated as are the labor costs incident to the installation of the latches. Furthermore, more effective latching of the associated door is achieved since each hinge incorporates the latching function inherent in the hinge of the invention.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a hinge latch of the aforementioned character which is adapted, in addition to performing the hinge and latch functions adverted to hereinabo ve, to partially close the door with which the hinge latch is associated since the hinge latch is characterized by a spring action which, during the final movement of the door toward the closed position, acts to automatically close the door.

Consequently, the necessity for providing auxiliary springs or similar devices to facilitate the closing of the door with which the hinge latches of the invention are associated is eliminated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a latching hinge which includes a strike element on one of the hinge leaves and a spring-biased latching element for engaging the strike element to maintain said hinge leaves against free relative movement.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a latching hinge in which the latching element is constituted by a spring leaf member and the strike is constituted by a pin or similar element mounted for operative engagement by said leaf spring.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical, partly sectional view showing a pair of hinges constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention mounted in operative relationship with the typical cabinet door;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of a latching hinge constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of said hinge;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of said hinge with the component parts thereof disposed in the relationship established when the door with which the hinge is associated is located in the open position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken from the broken line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing the various components of the hinge of FIGS. 1-5;

FIG. 7 is a vertical, partly sectional view showing an alternative embodiment of the hinge of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view showing the components of the hinge disposed in the position which they assume when the door with which they are associated is disposed in the open position;

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of another embodiment of the hinge of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of said hinge;

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken on the broken line 12--12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the broken line 1313 of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the broken line 14-14 of FIG. 12.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 16 thereof, we show a latching hinge 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of our invention and including a door butt or leaf 12 and a door frame butt or leaf 14, said door leaf being operatively connected to an associated door 15 by means of screws 16 extending through corresponding openings 18 provided in said leaf. While the teachings of the invention are disclosed in a hinge which is commonly known to those skilled in the art as a pin type hinge, it will, of course, be obvious that the teachings may be applied to various types of cabinet hinges, and it is not intended that they be limited to a specific configuration of hinge, so long as the essential elements of the invention are utilized.

Two of the openings 18 are elongated to facilitate the installation of the door leaf in operative relationship with the associated door and similar openings 20 are provided in the door frame leaf 14 to facilitate its securement by screws 22, FIG. 1, in operative relationship with the associated door frame.

The door leaf 12 includes a vertically oriented portion 24 which overlies the interior of the door and a rightangularly bent, upper horizontal portion 26 which overlies the upper edge of the door, FIG. 4, said upper portion having an opening 28 therein for the reception of a hinge pin or pintle 30 which serves, in a manner to be described in greater detail below, to secure the door leaf 12 in operative relationship with the door frame leaf 14.

A pair of angularly oriented, aligned openings 32. is formed in the upper portion 26 of the door leaf 12, said openings being adapted to receive and support a latching element or means 36 which, in the present embodiment of the invention, is constituted by an elongated, laminated leaf spring. The laminated leaf spring 38 incorporates downwardly extending tabs or prongs 42 which are received in the corresponding openings 32 and facilitate the aflixation of the elongated spring in operative relationship with the horizontally oriented upper portion 26 of the door leaf 12.

It will be noted that the latching element has a slightly curvilinear extremity 44 which is engageable with a corresponding strike 50 which is mounted on a horizontally oriented upper portion 52 of the door frame leaf 14, as best shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The horizontally oriented upper portion 52 of the door frame leaf 14 includes a hinge pin receiving opening 58 corresponding to the similar opening 28 provided in the door leaf 12 and a detent opening 62 juxtaposed to the opening 58 which is adapted to receive a detent or locating boss 64 provided on the strike 50.

The strike 50 includes a centrally located bore 66 which is adapted to receive the intermediate portion of the hinge pin 30 and which locates the strike 50 in the space between the horizontal upper portions 26 and 52 of the hinge leaves 12 and 14 for engagement by the curvilinear extremity 44 of the spring-biased latching element 36.

It will be noted that the strike is essentially round in configuration and is maintained against rotation relative -to the door frame leaf by means of the locating or detent boss 64. However, the strike incorporates a substantially triangular lobe 68 which is engaged by the corresponding extremity of the latching element 36 when the door 15 is located in the closed position, as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. When the latching element 36 engages the triangular lobe 68 of the strike 50 in the manner shown in FIG. 3, it maintains the associated door 15 in the closed position because the corresponding extremity of the elongated, laminated leaf spring constituting the strike is spring-loaded and slightly deflected by the lobe 68.

Conversely, when the door 15 is located in the open position, as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the adjacent extremity of the latching element engages the base of the lobe 68 and maintains the door 15 in the open position by acting as a friction brake to resist inadvertent closing of said door.

As the door 15 is closed, the latching elements 36 and the hinges at the top and bottom of the door progressively move over the corresponding surface of the; lobe 68 until the door is closed and the latching elements 36 engage the corresponding extremities of the lobes 68. The curvilinear extremity 44 of the latching elements permits the deflection of said elements and prevents the extremities of said latching elements from being caught upon the corresponding extremities of the lobes 68.

It is, of course, within the scope of the invention to provide an elongated, rigid latching element which is spring-biased since only the outer extremity of the latching element 36 deflects with the inner extremity being held against deflection by means of the tabs or prongs 42 and their location in the securement openings 32. Moreover, as previously indicated, it is also within the scope of the invention to utilize the teachings in hinge configurations other than in hinges.

An alternative embodiment 70 of the latching hinge of the invention is shown in FIGS. 79 as including a door hinge leaf 72 and a frame leaf 74 of substantially the same general configuration as the leaves 12 and 14 of the previously discussed and disclosed hinge 10. The leaves 72 and 74 are maintained in operative relationship with each other by means of a hinge pin or pintle 76 to permit movement of the associated door 78 on a pair of hinges 70, only one of said pair being shown in the drawings.

Rotatably mounted on a rivet 82 is a strike element 84 of cylindrical configuration which may be fabricated from nylon or similar synthetic plastic and which rotates freely about the axis of the rivet 82, said rivet being affixed firmly in the horizontal upper portion of the door leaf 72.

Cooperative with the cylindrically-shaped strike 84 is latching means constituted by an elongated leaf spring 92 which has a substantially U-shaped portion afifixed by a pair of rivets 96 to the vertical portion of the door frame leaf 74, FIG. 9. Formed integrally with the U-shaped portion of the leaf spring latching element 92 is a straight leg 96 which is urged against a restraining rivet 102. A rivet 102 is mounted in the horizontal upper portion of the door frame leaf 74, as best shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 of the drawings.

The free end of the U-shaped portion of the leaf spring 92 is angularly bent, as at 106, to facilitate the engagement thereof with the perimeter of the strike element 84 when the door 78 is closed, as best shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. When the free extremity of the leaf spring engages the perimeter of the strike element 84, there is a radial thrust component indicated by the arrow 108, FIG. 8, which holds the door 78 closed because the latching element 90 acts as a spring friction brake to hold the door closed. As the door is moved to the open position, shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings, the inherent bias of the leaf spring 92 works against the rotatable strike 84 to assist in the door opening function.

An alternative embodiment of the hinge of the invention is shown in FIGS. l0l4 including a door leaf 112 and a door frame leaf 114 maintained in operative relationship with each other by means of a hinge pintle or pin 115.

A circular strike 116 is formed in the horizontal upper portion of the door frame leaf 114 and has a downwardly projecting circular rim which is engaged by a ball latching element 118 which is biased upwardly through a corresponding opening in the horizontal upper portion of the door leaf 112 by a leaf spring 120. Therefore, when the door is in the closed position shown in FIGS. 12 and 14 of the drawings, the ball latching element 118 is urged upwardly into engagement with the angular, downwardly oriented strike rim of the strike element 116 to hold the associated door in closed and latched position. The door can be moved to the open position by merely grasping the edge of the door or a knob, not shown, on the door to cause the ball latching element 118 to ride downwardly against the upward bias of the spring 120 out of engagement with its angular strike 116.

There is thus provided by the invention a latching hinge which is adapted to serve both the functions of a hinge and a latch, thus eliminating the necessity for the installation and purchase of conventional latches customarily utilized on cabinet doors. In several of the embodiments of the invention, an additional function is performed in that the spring means incorporated in the hinge and performing part of the latching function also serves to facilitate the opening or closing of the door by exerting sufficient spring pressure on the associated hinge elements to perform a door closing or opening action.

We claim:

1. In a latching hinge, the combination of: a first stationary door frame hinge leaf; a second movable door hinge leaf; hinge pin means connecting said leaves for hinged movement between open and closed positions; said first hinge leaf having a strike element including a triangular lobe with an end and a side, a boss of said triangular lobe engaged with said first hinge leaf maintaining said triangular lobe positioned relative to said first hinge leaf; and said second hinge leaf having a latching element including leaf-type spring means, said spring means having spaced tabs engaged with and maintaining said spring means positioned relative to said second hinge leaf, said spring means having a free end engaged slidable over said strike element triangular lobe during the entire hinged movement of said hinge leaves between said open and closed positions, said spring means end flexing and engaging over said end of said strike element triangular lobe when said hinge leaves are moved to said closed position maintaining said hinge leaves in said closed position, said spring means end disengaging said triangular 5 lobe end to slidably bear against said triangular lobe side and urge said hinge leaves toward said open position upon said hinge leaves being moved from said closed position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Durup 16142 Hizsa 16-142 Ducali 16-139 Youngdale et a1 16145 Gorton et a1 16-142 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

DORIS L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

